Treatment of leather butts



06L 1955 A. METZGER TREATMENT OF LEATHER BUTTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 4, 1954 INVENMP Oct. 25, 1955 A. METZGER 2,721,469

TREATMENT OF LEATHER BUTTS Filed June 4, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent TREATMENT" OFLEATHER BUTTS Artur Metzger,.Pinneberg(Holstein), Germany Application June 4, 1954, Serial No. 434,487

Claims priority, application Germany June 6,1953

13-Cla'ims. '(CI. 69-46) This invention-concerns thetreatment of leather butts by whichais to-"beunderstood a=piece of leather which has been tanned and beated is to be dressed, smoothed and strengthened.

The object of thisinvention is'broadly'the provision of an improved process and apparatus 'for'treating leather butts.

Another-object of the "invention is to treat substantially the entiresurface of a butt at one time.

A further object istotreat the entire' butt at thesame time so that the butt is straightened and flattened uniformly whereby it is of constant thickness and strength and-is made completely smooth even if previously tanned in a drum tanner.

Yet a further object isthe provision-of an apparatus which will allow for'local variations 'in thickness of the butt and which will produce-a butt having a uniform surface.

The above and other'objects and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the 'following description .of the .invention which is made with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side'viewyparfly insection, of an apparatus for carrying.out.the.processaccording-to the-invention;

Figure 2 is a section on the line IIII of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a part of the apparatus in the direction of the arrow III of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a section, to a larger size, of that part of the apparatus enclosed in the circle IV of Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a plan view in the direction of the arrow V of Figure 4.

A table 2, which can be raised and held up under pressure by means of a hydraulic jack 3, constitutes the support plate for a butt 1. The pressing table and the hydraulic jack will not be described in greater detail since they may be of any conventional form. The hydraulic jack is supported on a base frame 4 which carries girders 8, by means of pillars 5, and longitudinal girders 6 and transverse girders 7, the girders 8 extending over the whole length of the table 2. Figure 1 shows that four parallel girders 8 are disposed adjacent one another. Suspended from the central pair of girders 8 through the agency of rollers 9 and links 10 is a plate 11 which is substantially co-extensive with the table 2. Plate 11 is completely smooth and of such thickness that it will not bend or deform when subjected to the pressure necessary for dressing and smoothing the butt. The rollers 9 run on suitable tracks in the central girders 8 so that the plate may be reciprocated lengthwise of the girders as later described.

Suspended from each of the two outer girders 8, through the agency of rollers 12 and links 13, is a longitudinal girder 14 and between the pair of girders 14 are rotatably mounted a plurality of pressure rollers 15, the axis of rotation of which is perpendicularly to the lengthwise direction of the girders 8. The rollers 12 run on suitable tracks in the outer supporting girders 8 so that the ice '2 rollerst15:can be reciprocated in the lengthwisefrlirection of. the: supporting girders 8.

Carriages co-operating with anzappropriate:slidingtsurface on.thesupporting'girders"8 could'beused insteadof .the 'rollers'9,'12.

.Aslongitudinal girder 17'is suspended from :each .of girders 14 by plates 16 and arelatively:largetnumber :of rods or spindles 18" extendbetween'the girders 17 parallel tot'theaaxis of "rotation of the pressure rollers 1'5.

jiachispindle 18 supports a roller assembly-comprising a-.plurality=of dressing or smoothing rollers 19 arranged close together and end to end. .The distance between the spindles 18, which liein ahorizontalplane, is such that the-diameters of the rollers in the individual rows;substantially contact one another ;(Fig. :5). The 'rollers of adjacent rows are also 'staggeredrelatively to "one another asshown in Figure '5.

-The bore :20 of each roller :19 is substantially :greater than the diameter of the-spindle 18 so that each roller 19 fits'looselyaon its spindle 1'8 and-thereforeihangs loosely from the spindle, as shown in Figure 4. The supporting plate 'l'Lisdisposed immediatelyibelow the pressure rollers 15 and a rubber platelor mat .21 is zbetweenthe lower surface of the supporting :plate 11 and the rollers 19. The rubber'mat is substantially co-extensive :with the surface of the plate 11 and therefore with'the surface of the table 2.

There is also carriedfby the frame ashaft '22 which is drivcn,:for example, by means of an electric motor (not shown) .and :ascrank .23 on shaft 22 is connected with a shaft 25 by vairod '24 so that the supporting plate '11 is reciprocated, shaft 25 being rigidly 'connected-tothe plate 11 by-.arms..26.and 27. The connecting rod 24, crank-23, shaft 25 :andarrns .26 and 27 are arranged in the central longitu'dinaLplane ofithe apparatus, 'a feature more particularly .apparentfrom Figure .l. vGirders 14 carry upstanding-lugs28 to each of'whichthere'is secured-a bearing ;29:foflanothertconnecting rod--30 which is actuated by crank 31 which is secured to the shaft 22.

The pressure rollers 15 and the dressing rollers 19 are reciprocated with the same stroke. However, this stroke is only half as great as the stroke of the supporting plate 11.

It will be apparent that the supporting plate 11, the pressure rollers 15 and the dressing rollers 19 hang freely from the supporting girders 8, and are longitudinally movable therealong. Disposed between the supporting plate 11 and the smoothing or dressing rollers 19 is the rubber mat 21, and it has been found that the latter, without additional securing means, remains in position for relatively long periods of operation. The dressing rollers 19 are adjustable in so many ways that they can be satisfactorily adapted to the butt 1 to smooth, dress and strengthen the same.

I claim:

1. A process for treating butts comprising laying the butt on a flat, supporting surface, applying under pressure a plurality of parallel rollers to the butt and reciprocating the rollers across the butt, while applied thereto under pressure, so that substantially the entire butt is acted on by the rollers.

2. A process for treating butts comprising laying the butt on a flat, supporting surface, applying under pressure a plurality of close-pitched, parallel rollers to the butt, said rollers being substantially co-extensive with the butt and reciprocating the rollers across the butt, while applied thereto under pressure, so that substantially the entire butt is acted on by the rollers.

3. A process for treating butts comprising laying the butt on a fiat, supporting surface, resiliently applying under pressure a plurality of close-pitched, parallel rollers to the butt, said rollers being substantially co-extensive :3 with the butts, and reciprocating the rollers across the butt, while applied thereto under pressure, so that substantially the entire butt is acted on by the rollers.

4. Apparatus for treating butts comprising a frame, a flat surface to support the butt, a plurality of parallel roller assemblies each comprising a plurality of rollers placed end to end, means to support said rollers from the frame for reciprocation, means for applying the rollers under pressure to the butt and means for reciprocating the rollers across the butt so that substantially the entire butt is acted on by the rollers.

5. Apparatus for treating butts comprising a frame, a fiat surface to support the butt, a plurality of parallel roller assemblies each comprising a plurality of rollers placed end to end, the ends of the rollers of adjacent assemblies being staggered, means to support said rollers from the frame for reciprocation, means for applying the rollers under pressure to the butt and means for reciprocating the rollers across the butt so that substantially the entire butt is acted on by the rollers.

6. Apparatus for treating butts comprising a frame, a flat surface to support the butt, a plurality of parallel rollers to engage the supported butt, a plate-like member carried by the frame to support the rollers when applied to the butt, a rubber mat extending over the plate-like member between said member and the rollers, means to support said rollers from the frame for reciprocation, means for applying the rollers under pressure to the butt and means for reciprocating the rollers across the butt so that substantially the entire butt is acted on by the rollers.

7. Apparatus for treating butts comprising a frame, a flat surface to support the butt, a plurality of parallel rollers to engage the supported butt, a spindle for each roller, the rollers being loose on their spindles for considerable transverse movement relatively thereto, a platelike member carried by the frame to support the rollers when applied to the butt, a rubber mat extending over the plate-like member between said member and the rollers, means to support the roller spindles from the frame for reciprocation, means for applying the rollers under pressure to the butt and means for reciprocating said roller spindles to carry the rollers across the butt so that substantially the entire butt is acted on by the rollers.

8. Apparatus for treating butts comprising a frame, a flat surface to support the butt, a plurality of parallel rollers to engage the supported butt, a plate'like member carried by the frame to support the rollers when applied to the butt, a rubber mat extending over the plate-like member between said member and the rollers, means to support said rollers from the frame for reciprocation, for applying the rollers under pressure to the butt, means for reciprocating the plate-like member across the rollers and means for reciprocating the rollers across the butt so that substantially the entire butt is acted on by the rollers.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 in which the stroke of the reciprocating plate-like supporting member is twice as great as the stroke of the reciprocating rollers.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 in which the plate-like supporting member bears against support rollers carried by the frame and extending parallel with the butt-engaging rollers.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 in which the support rollers and the butt-engaging rollers are connected together for common reciprocation.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the stroke of the reciprocating plate-like supporting member is twice as great as the stroke of the commonly reciprocating butt-en aging and supporting rollers.

13. Apparatus for treating butts comprising a base frame, a hydraulic jack supported on said base frame, a table supported for movement by said jack and providing a fiat support surface for a said butt, an overhead frame structure, a roller assembly comprising a plurality of side by side rollers, said roller assembly being carried in suspended relation by said overhead frame structure, and means mounting said roller assembly for reciprocation across the butt While pressed against said roller assembly by said jack.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 452,918 France Mar. 20, 1913 E an-n A 

